Manipulating nutrient composition of microalgal growth media to improve biomass yield and lipid content of Micractinium pusillum

Abstract

Microalgae are a diverse group of prokaryotic and eukaryotic photosynthetic microorgan- isms that grow rapidly due to their simple structure. They can potentially be employed for the production of biofuels in an economically effective and environmentally sustainable man- ner. Microalgae have been investigated for the production of a number of different biofuels including biodiesel, bio-oil, bio-syngas, and bio-hydrogen. The production of these biofuels can be coupled with flue gas CO2 mitigation, wastewater treatment, and the production of high-value chemicals. Microalgal farming can also be carried out with seawater using ma- rine microalgal species as the producers. Developments in microalgal cultivation and down- stream processing (e.g., harvesting, drying, and thermochemical processing) are expected to further enhance the costeffectiveness of the biofuel from microalgae strategy.